Tide leaders' impromptu team meeting sends clear message to players

Linebacker C.J. Mosley (32) tackles Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson (18) during the second half of last Saturday’s game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Staff photo | Michelle Lepianka Carter

By Aaron SuttlesSports Writer

Published: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 11:36 p.m.

They’d seen enough: enough missed assignments, enough lack of communication and enough of not doing things the Alabama way.

So C.J. Mosley, AJ McCarron and Vinnie Sunseri stood before their teammates and demanded accountability, told them enough was enough. It was time to buy into the program or get off the field.

In the immediate aftermath of Saturday night’s 31-6 win over Colorado State, an impromptu team meeting sprung up in the home team’s locker room, with Mosley leading the way.

“We were pretty upset with the win we had, especially with the way we won,” Mosley said. “We felt we didn’t dominate. After Coach (Nick) Saban’s little speech, me, AJ, Vinnie, we kind of said how we really feel. I started off because I was pretty upset, especially with the defense. The things we gave up were mental errors, just little things, just fundamental errors, so I felt like, ‘we’re about to play Ole Miss next week and about to start getting into SEC play. Those little things will get us beat bad, get us embarrassed, so we’ve got to make sure everyone’s doing their job.’”

It speaks to the standards of the University of Alabama football program that after a pair of 25-point wins and a road win against a top-10 opponent, the team wasn’t happy. Not with its performance. Not in the way the wins played out. Not in the way it didn’t play to the standard of Crimson Tide football.

Veterans know that another lackluster performance won’t cut it during Southeastern Conference play. UA faces conference opponents in six of its next seven games, beginning Saturday night against Ole Miss.

Mosley is a quiet guy, a leader by example, but not vocal. So when he stood up, his teammates took notice.

“Definitely, because he has that reputation of being quiet. So when he speaks, it’s felt,” linebacker Trey DePriest said. “He don’t really say too much. He’s a quiet guy. When he’s got something to say, that means it needs to be said.”

The offense took notice, too.

“There’s a couple of guys on the team that you just sort of lock in on them when they’re talking,” tight end Brian Vogler said. “Guys like him and AJ. They’ve been around for awhile, they know how the system works, they’ve got a lot of success to their name, they’ve really made a really good brand for themselves as players. So when they say something, you sort of have to hone in on it and take what they say to heart.”

Players say the message was needed.

“Yeah, I think so. I think some guys on the team just needed to hear it,” Vogler said. “And it’s worked really well for us this week.”

It’s pretty simple to Mosley, the quiet senior leader. Do it the Alabama way or move on.

“They better. If not, they won’t be on the field,” Mosley said. “Like I said, stuff like the DBs, they’ve responded well in practice the last few days.”

<p>They'd seen enough: enough missed assignments, enough lack of communication and enough of not doing things the Alabama way.</p><p>So C.J. Mosley, AJ McCarron and Vinnie Sunseri stood before their teammates and demanded accountability, told them enough was enough. It was time to buy into the program or get off the field.</p><p>In the immediate aftermath of Saturday night's 31-6 win over Colorado State, an impromptu team meeting sprung up in the home team's locker room, with Mosley leading the way.</p><p>“We were pretty upset with the win we had, especially with the way we won,” Mosley said. “We felt we didn't dominate. After Coach (Nick) Saban's little speech, me, AJ, Vinnie, we kind of said how we really feel. I started off because I was pretty upset, especially with the defense. The things we gave up were mental errors, just little things, just fundamental errors, so I felt like, 'we're about to play Ole Miss next week and about to start getting into SEC play. Those little things will get us beat bad, get us embarrassed, so we've got to make sure everyone's doing their job.'”</p><p>It speaks to the standards of the University of Alabama football program that after a pair of 25-point wins and a road win against a top-10 opponent, the team wasn't happy. Not with its performance. Not in the way the wins played out. Not in the way it didn't play to the standard of Crimson Tide football.</p><p>Veterans know that another lackluster performance won't cut it during Southeastern Conference play. UA faces conference opponents in six of its next seven games, beginning Saturday night against Ole Miss.</p><p>Mosley is a quiet guy, a leader by example, but not vocal. So when he stood up, his teammates took notice.</p><p>“Definitely, because he has that reputation of being quiet. So when he speaks, it's felt,” linebacker Trey DePriest said. “He don't really say too much. He's a quiet guy. When he's got something to say, that means it needs to be said.”</p><p>The offense took notice, too.</p><p>“There's a couple of guys on the team that you just sort of lock in on them when they're talking,” tight end Brian Vogler said. “Guys like him and AJ. They've been around for awhile, they know how the system works, they've got a lot of success to their name, they've really made a really good brand for themselves as players. So when they say something, you sort of have to hone in on it and take what they say to heart.”</p><p>Players say the message was needed.</p><p>“Yeah, I think so. I think some guys on the team just needed to hear it,” Vogler said. “And it's worked really well for us this week.”</p><p>It's pretty simple to Mosley, the quiet senior leader. Do it the Alabama way or move on.</p><p>“They better. If not, they won't be on the field,” Mosley said. “Like I said, stuff like the DBs, they've responded well in practice the last few days.”</p><p>Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.</p>